Blazin’ Brewfest set to cool off Main Street

In its three years, the New Mexico Brewers Guild’s Blazin’ Brewfest, has grown leaps and bounds, from a modest, but raucous, gathering held at The Grapevine to a full-fledged festival at the heart of Las Cruces, and upon its return to Las Cruces this year — from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 2 — it comes to a Las Cruces changed.

“Our whole thing has always been about supporting local beer” said guild Executive Director Chris Goblet. “What’s interesting about this year’s festival is that we have four official brew pubs now in open and operating in Las Cruces — Spotted Dog, High Desert, Bosque and De La Vega’s (Pecan Grill & Brewery) — and we hear two more are coming. When we started this festival, it was just High Desert. Now, three short years later, four functioning breweries and two more on the way. It’s a college town, looking to have more locally owned business and lots of local support for craft beer. The landscape’s really changed.

“We came to Las Cruces knowing it’s going to be an emerging beer market — the next big market in New Mexico — and we’re seeing it happen in just three years.”

In addition to great, locally produced beer, liquor and cider, the Blazin’ Brewfest will feature eats – from Luchador, 138 Sanwiches, The Greenhaus and Green Chile Paddy Wagon food trucks – and entertainment from Santa Fe blues band Man No Sober and locals Gold-Hearted Crows.

While previous years had been largely devoted to spreading the name and mission of the New Mexico Brewers Guild, this year’s festival, with the guild’s name and reputation cemented, is all about celebration.

“This year, it’s a lot less about getting our name out there and more about, we want you to know who the New Mexico Brewers Guild is, and we want you to celebrate New Mexico craft beer,” Goblet said. “We want you to come out and show your support. Local people like to drink local beer, and in Las Cruces, I hope, people are become more excited with the scene down there.

“This is the place you want to go for beers you’ve never tried before and you want to support locals. We’re getting to a point now that it’s really fun to be a part of the New Mexico Brewers Guild tribe, to be part of our supporters, and this is a great way to do that on your home turf. We promise to have a great time — food trucks, bands and beer.”

Tickets to the Blazin’ Brewfest are $20 at the gate. For more information, visit www.nmbeer.org.